[Medical therapy by training in the rehabilitation of patients with COPD]

Medical therapy by training means physical training for patients as part of a medical therapy based on a physician's recommendation, with clear indications and with clear therapeutic aims. It has to be clearly differentiated from sport and is not an alternative medicine. There is a lot of evidence that physical training can improve endurance and strength of patients with COPD. Especially in severe COPD, the VO2max, as the parameter for the endurance capacity, is the best single predictor for survival, better than every other value of lungfunction. The rules of training concerning endurance and strength in patients with COPD are presented.